Get out there and celebrate Earth Day with Mother Nature

Kathleen Kudlinski,

Published 12:00 am, Friday, April 19, 2013

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Happy Earth Day Eve! How are you and your family going to celebrate the planet this year? Starting this weekend here are plenty of meaningful things you can do. Pick just one or two and run with them. Keep the list on the fridge, and see what else might feel right for you -- and Earth.

1. Getting outdoors is the first step. Why not picnic outdoors this weekend -- or once a week starting now? Whether on your own deck or at a local park, you and your family can follow the seasons in person, see animal life together, breathe fresh air and enjoy the spring (and summer and fall) as never before. Online, you'll find The Nature Conservancy's "Picnic for Earth," which is "a celebration of the planet we live on, the food it provides and the people we share it with. In short, the planet does a lot for us, and we should take it out for lunch. On and around Earth Day 2013 (April 22), people all around the world will be stepping outside and heading to their favorite outdoor spot to enjoy good food in the company of great people."

2. Make your yard a bird oasis. Start by providing the five basics: clean water, plants with flowers for nectar and insects (songbirds feed insects to their young), fruit-bearing plants to provide fuel for migration and winter, layers of plants for cover and thermal protection, and nesting habitat and materials. Native plants are key -- their architecture, flowers, fruits and scents are ideal for restoring the communities and relationships birds depend on. Yards that mimic surrounding natural plant communities not only attract more kinds of birds, they could help reverse the loss of urban biodiversity, according to new research.

3. Become a scientist. Everyday bird observations provide crucial data for scientists studying the big and small questions about bird lives, from migration to the effects of global climate change. You can help by becoming a citizen scientist, observing and noting the kinds of birds you see. Join the Great Backyard Bird Count -- in 2012, it tallied 17.4 million observations and 623 species, including an influx of snowy owls from the Arctic -- sign up for a local Christmas Bird Count, or enlist in a new effort to track hummingbirds. Visit audubon.org/citizenscience for more.

4. Forgo pesticides. Since Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" was published five decades ago, pesticide use in North America has grown to exceed 1.1 billion pounds annually. Roughly 8 percent of that is applied to yards and gardens. One particular lawn-care pesticide, diazinon, has been implicated in more than 150 mass bird die-offs. At the same time, U.S. researchers estimate that agricultural use kills 67 million birds each year. Pesticides also cause longer-term, potentially lethal effects ranging from eggshell thinning to neurological damage, and may be linked to human food allergies.

5. Save energy, cut carbon emissions. The coal that fuels many power plants in the eastern United States comes from Appalachia, where mountaintop removal mining has obliterated more than 750,000 acres of forests, destroying habitat in an area larger than Rhode Island. The United States is still one of the biggest contributors to global warming: The average American is responsible for 22 tons of carbon dioxide each year, more than six times that of the average person globally. Leaving your car at home twice a week -- and walking or biking instead -- can reduce your emissions by 2 tons a year (and it's healthy for you, too). Make conservation a family challenge. Keep a journal and award points for conservation activities, including miles walked, biked, or covered on mass transit instead of driving; each time lights are turned off when leaving the room; and unplugging electronic devices overnight. Calculate your carbon footprint: Want motivation for participating in Earth Day events? Why not see just how much carbon your lifestyle contributes to the planet with The Nature Conservatory carbon footprint calculator at http://www.nature.org/greenliving/carboncalculator/

6. Part with plastics. The first plastic bags were produced in 1957, according to Worldwatch Institute, and we now throw away 100 billion a year. Many eventually wash into the ocean to join oceanic garbage patches, drifting gyres of trash that spread over huge sea areas. Every year the floating "bladders" of these bags kill hundreds of thousands of seabirds -- along with sea turtles and marine mammals -- which mistake them for jellyfish and squid, and then starve to death after filling their guts with plastic. Using less plastic also saves energy and, thus, bird habitat. Plastic is made from petroleum and requires energy -- more fossil fuels -- to go from oil to consumer good.

7. What you do counts! Be counted. Earthday.org has a campaign called One Billion Acts of Green, asking people, businesses and governments to record their acts of kindness toward the Earth. No matter how you reduce carbon emissions -- whether just in your home or in a big company, millions of acts have been recorded, and they want to reach 1 billion.

Next week, I'll add to this list of suggestions culled from the Internet, so you can hear about other projects you might take on. Most people react to the dire climate change forecasts we keep hearing with feelings of crushing stress and helplessness. That way lies depression. Giving up. If you take action, instead, you'll feel great and be doing good for Mother Nature.

Enjoy Guilford naturalist and children's book author Kathleen Kudlinski's daily nature notes and thoughts at her Pondside Place blog, www.kathleenkudlinski.com. Email her at Kathkud@aol.com or write to her c/o the Register, 40 Sargent Drive New Haven, 06511.